“TG-3, the pinnacle of Tough cameras, perfectly captures the most amazing moments. With an expanded system, more scenes than ever before are now in your grasp.

Introducing the STYLUS TG-3, the pinnacle of the Tough series, equipped with a bright f2.0 lens.

Not only is this model packed with Tough performance, but features macro performance that goes one step beyond the rest, with accessories that expand the system to include an even wider range of possible scenes.

As an easy and quick attachment to the lens of the TG‑3, the LG-1 LED Light Guide counteracts camera shadow and illuminates macro subjects evenly, drawing out the best of the TG‑3’s macro photography abilities.

Added to these features is a new smartphone app that makes Assist GPS information easy to update when on the go.

When combined, these features make shooting Tough scenes more fun than ever before.“

Olympus has announced the five finalists of its Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown, an action sports photography competition held on April 17th at the World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler, BC. The finalists will be competing for a $10,000 grand prize for “Best in Show” and the chance to showcase their work to over 15,000 enthusiasts and experts.

Please note, the Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown is open to all ages. Some shows may include adult humour and a small amount of profanity. Please attend at your own discretion.

PRESS RELEASE

OLYMPUS PRO PHOTOGRAPHER SHOWDOWN FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2014

Action Sports Photography Titans To Battle It Out At The World Ski And Snowboard Festival

WHISTLER, BC March 10, 2014 – The OLYMPUS Pro Photographer Showdown at the World Ski and Snowboard Festival (WSSF) is one of the most prestigious action sports photography competitions of its kind in the world. Since its inception in 1998, WSSF has invited action sports photography masters from around the globe each year to compete at the Pro Photographer Showdown in Whistler, BC. On the line for the competitors is a shot at the $10,000 grand prize for “Best In Show” and an opportunity to showcase their life’s work to a live audience of over 1,500 sports enthusiasts, media and industry professionals.Continue Reading »

ANNOUNCING TWO OLYMPUS® M.ZUIKO® PRO SERIES LENSES UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Olympus developing Two New Powerful Micro Four Thirds® Lenses that Will Extend the OM-D® and PEN® System for the Professional User

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., February 12, 2014 — Olympus announces the development of two new M.ZUIKO lenses, adding to its award-winning PRO series line-up, the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO (14mm-28mm 35mm equivalent) and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm F4 PRO (600mm 35mm equivalent). Both Olympus lenses deliver first-of-its kind performance to the M.ZUIKO PRO series and are scheduled to launch in 2015.

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO

The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO is the first-ever wide-angle zoom lens in the M.ZUIKO PRO series. This compact and lightweight lens maintains a dustproof and splashproof design to compliment the rugged durability of the Olympus OM-D® E-M1 and E-M5. True to ZUIKO standards, the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO features sharpness to the edges of the image and excellent performance for professional use.

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm F4 PRO

The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm F4.0 PRO lens is the first single-focal-length super telephoto lens in the M.ZUIKO PRO series. Like other lenses in the PRO series, this new lens will deliver superb performance, complimented by compact, dustproof and splashproof construction.

The Image Quality and Power of the E-M1 and E-M5 are now Packed into a More Affordable OM-D Body; Two New Lenses Broaden Olympus’s Micro Four Thirds® System

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., January 29, 2014 — Olympus adds to its award-winning OM-D family with the new E-M10, an interchangeable lens camera that combines the outstanding image quality, speed and power of the flagship Olympus® OM-D E-M1 and the Olympus OM-D E-M5 into an extremely compact and stylish all-metal body. Featuring the new TruePic VII image processor, the same found in the OM-D E-M1, 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor, Wi-Fi® technology, a large, high-speed electronic viewfinder, 3-axis image stabilization, ultrafast autofocus and a built-in flash, it’s the OM-D for photographers looking for an affordable, yet powerful, system camera they can use every day. The new, super-slim M.ZUIKO® DIGITAL 14-42mm f 3.5-5.6 EZ pancake zoom lens and the super-bright M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm f1.8 expands Olympus Micro Four Thirds line-up to 15 lenses.

NEW OLYMPUS® SP-100 IS A SUPER-ZOOM WITH AN EAGLE’S EYE FOR CAPTURING DISTANT ACTION

The SP-100 Is the First Camera with a Built-In Dot-Sight* for Easy Framing, Electronic Viewfinder, Improved Grip and Refined Controls for Outstanding Telephoto Results

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., January 29, 2014 — Olympus introduces a breakthrough in its Ultra Zoom camera line-up with the new STYLUS® SP-100, the world’s first-ever camera with a built-in dot-sight*, enabling you to easily track moving subjects, like a soccer game or a flying bird. This technology will allow you to record smoother videos and will help you to not lose sight of your subject. Once the subject is still, then you can frame and shoot. The dot-sight combines with the SP-100’s newly developed 24-1200mm** 50x optical Ultra Zoom lens, or 2400mm 100x Super Resolution zoom, for capturing detailed shots of moving, distant subjects.

Well, the glass is half-full or half-empty, depending on your point of view, isn’t it?

In an Amateur Photographer interview with Olympus SLR products planning manager, Toshi Terada, the latter “confirmed that Olympus has stopped DSLR development but he did not rule out its return.”

What Mr. Toshi Terada said was: “Nobody knows 10 years away… once we can get a very nice share [in mirrorless] we may expand the business to DSLR again, but at this moment we are just concentrating on mirrorless and we have no plan to go into DSLR.”

From that, the editor decided to title the interview “CES 2014: Olympus may re-enter DSLR arena.”

Fat chance.

If you are still hoping for an Olympus DSLR, you might have to wait for at least 10 years. The introduction of the OM-D E-M1 made it [abundantly] clear that the era of the DSLR was over for Olympus. In ten years, lots of things can happen. We could have a brand new technology to take pictures with, and both DSLRs and mirrorless could be relegated to the history dustbins.

CENTER VALLEY, PA., October 29, 2013 – Olympus has redefined the enthusiast compact camera by uniting many of the best features found across its camera lineup in the new STYLUS. Designed for semi-pro shooters who demand optical brilliance, DSLR operation, convenience and portability, this one-size-fits-all package has head-turning, OM-inspired looks as well as premium imaging performance.

The STYLUS 1 includes an i.ZUIKO lens that incorporates the outstanding optical quality of the Olympus ZUIKO interchangeable lenses. At its heart is a large 1/1.7-inch BSI CMOS sensor and TruePic VI image processor along with additional features, including the built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF) from the award-winning Olympus OM-D E-M5® and Wi-Fi for shooting and sharing anywhere. Whether you want the latest and greatest high-tech tool, or if you simply prefer something that is lightweight and easy to take when you are on the go, there is truly something for everyone.Continue Reading »

Focus Numérique has published an interesting interview with Toshiyuki Terada, who is responsible for the development of Olympus DSLRs and mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras, about the latest OM-D E-M1. It’s in French but a Google translation makes a good read.

Main highlights:

It took up to 3 years to develop the TruePic VII engine, relying on an image sensor that had not yet been produced and that existed only as technical specifications on paper.

Olympus will stay for now with its hybrid AF: Contrast AF for micro 4/3 lenses and Phase Detect AF for 4/3 lenses. It believes it can further refine Contrast AF so as to increase its performance.

It has no plans to build its own image sensor, like Fujifilm did with the X-Trans sensor, but will adopt whichever it believes is the best.

It removed the low-pass AA filter because its Fine Detail II Processing engine is now powerful enough to remove moiré in software. You may therefore see moiré in your RAW files.

Olympus cannot use an electronic shutter for now because the image sensor cannot handle it.

No flash on the E-M1 because it believes that pros prefer to use natural light. But it is interested in the twin led flash of the Apple iPhone 5S.

There is only one card slot because they lacked space for a second one.

Olympus will concentrate on making the best still camera for now, leaving the video aspect to Panasonic.